The lives of millions of Cambodians were devastated by the totalitarian Khmer Rouge Pol Pot regime. For every two people who survived, one person perished. About 8,000 Pol Pot survivors now live in New South Wales, mainly in Sydney.

The 1901 ‘White Australia’ immigration policy was finally dismantled by the Federal Labor Government under Gough Whitlam. No longer could non-European migration be restricted on racial grounds. The following Liberal Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, was also a strong advocate of a multicultural Australia.

As a result, from the mid-1970s, extensive migration from Cambodia, Thailand and many other countries could take place. Decades later, New South Wales is home to more than 200 cultures from across the world.

Leaving Cambodia: stories of Sydney’s Pol Pot survivors is the first in a series of NSW Migration Heritage Centre video documentaries about the migration and settlement of newcomers to Australia from 1975 onwards.

Now living in Western Sydney, six survivors of the Khmer Rouge Pol Pot regime share their memories. Participants reminisce vividly about family loss and separation, freedom and safety through keepsakes and family photos in compelling video histories.

Watch these personal stories and discover more about Cambodian history and contemporary Australian society through the lives of everyday people and their memorabilia.